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After completing a loan move to Belgium’s RSC Anderlecht in the past few days, former Bafana Bafana defender Lucas Radebe believes striker Percy Tau is close to moving to the Premier League.

‘Rhoo’ is confident the former Mamelodi Sundowns player can grow under ex-Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany, saying he must not be distracted by the consecutive loan moves.

The former Leeds United skipper recently told Goal he would love to see the former Masandawana striker in the English top-flight, saying the 26-year-old is ready for a move to England.

“He must be patient and let it not [club hopping] cloud his mind. Percy has character and he has proved during his time in Belgium that he can adapt to a foreign environment,” he told City Press.

“I think he’s close to going to the Premier League. This is the season where he needs to focus and push for regular game time. Obviously, the rules are tough for foreign players to be granted a work permit in a country such as England.

“One other key aspect is the rankings of a national team and, Bafana are ranked low, there’s definitely going to be a little bit of doubt. Tau is an investment and this has been supported by the fact that there are always suitors lining up to sign him whenever his loan deal ends.

“At Anderlecht, he is with the right person in Vincent Kompany, who will definitely recommend him highly in the Premiership. So, I think Percy is very close to a move to England and hopefully, this is the season it happens.”

On the other hand, retired Bafana midfielder Maimane Phiri also backs the Brighton & Hove Albion striker to settle down easily in the Belgian top-tier following a stint with Club Brugge last season.

“Playing just one season at a club is not good at all. What he needs is the stability for maybe two or three seasons,” Phiri added.

“But the good thing is that he is still in the same country [Belgium] and he knows the culture, the weather conditions, the atmosphere, and the playing philosophy.

“This could make it easy for him to adapt to his new club. The transition from one club to another should be easy for him because he will come up against the same opponents.

“And this is one of the biggest clubs in the country, which should improve his game. The one important thing is that he needs to play regularly so he can convince Brighton that he deserves a place in their team.”

Following two successful loan stints with Royale Union Saint-Gillioise and Club Brugge, Tau's handlers worked hard to earn him a move to the Premier League but those plans were not achieved as he will play on loan once again.

Senzo Mbatha Mazingiza has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Simba SC effective immediately.

The administrator has been reportedly under immense pressure for player tapping regarding the signing of Bernard Morrison of Yanga SC. The official has taken to Twitter to announce his resignation from Wekundu wa Msimbazi.

"A special thank you message to Simba SC leadership for providing me the opportunity to lead this great club," Mazingiza tweeted on Sunday afternoon.

"I, regrettably, have tendered my resignation from the club with immediate effect. Within a short space of time, a lot has been achieved. 

"[Thank you so much Simba]."

Ghanaian Morrison was still contracted to Yanga when Simba signed him without following due process, a move that has been bitterly contested by the former.

Mazingiza joined the 21-time league champions in September 2019.

The South African football administrator replaced Crescentius Magori at the Tanzanian football powerhouse.   

Mazingiza is an experienced football administrator having worked for Pirates between 2011 and 2013.

The former Platinum Stars general manager was in charge of the Buccaneers' administration as the club clinched the 2011/12 PSL title.

He left the Soweto giants for now-defunct Platinum Stars in 2013 where he also enjoyed success.

Dikwena clinched the MTN8 and Telkom Knockout Cup before Mazingiza left the club in September 2017.

Prior to joining Pirates, Mazingiza worked at Bay United and the University of Pretoria.

During his reign, Simba failed to go past the initial stage of the Caf Champions League as opposed to the previous season when they went all the way to the quarter-finals of the competition.

They turned their focus to domestic football where they started by winning the Community Shield by defeating former FA Cup winners Azam FC 4-2.

Wekundu wa Msimbazi went on to clinch their third Tanzania Mainland League title in as many seasons with six games to spare.

In this period, they also qualified for the FA Cup final where they defeated Namungo 2-1 to be crowned. John Bocco and Clatous Chama were on target for Simba with Charles Manyama scoring a consolation for Namungo.

Simba will represent Tanzania in the Caf Champions League next season.

Willian has confirmed his departure from Chelsea in an open letter to the club's fans.

The Brazilian winger's contract with the London side expires at the end of August, though the club offered him an extension and he has also been linked with a move to city rivals Arsenal.

The 32-year-old has confirmed he will not stay on at Stamford Bridge and thanked the Blues supporters for their affection during his time there.

"They were seven wonderful years. In August 2013 when I received the offer from Chelsea, I was convinced that this was where I had to play," Willian wrote.

"Today I am certain that it was the best of decisions. There were so many happy times, some sad, there were trophies and it was always very intense.

"Yet, beyond the trophies, I learnt a lot about myself. I developed a great deal, becoming a better player and a better person. With each training session, with each game, with every minute spent in the dressing room, I was always learning.

"I am really grateful to the Chelsea fans for the affectionate way they welcomed me at Stamford Bridge and their support throughout my time at the club. There was also criticism, which is normal, what is important though is that both the affection and criticism drove me to always give my all in every training session, every game, to be constantly improving until my very last minute in a Chelsea shirt!

"The time has now come to move on. I am certainly going to miss my team-mates. I will miss all the staff at the club who’ve always treated me like a son and I will miss the fans. I leave with my head held high, safe in the knowledge that I won things here and always did my best in a Chelsea shirt!

"My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you and God bless you!"

Willian joined Chelsea from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013 and went on to make 339 appearances for the Premier League side. 

He lifted two Premier League titles and won the Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup.

Victor Osimhen wished he was on the pitch to play and help his Napoli teammates in their 3-1 Champions League round of 16 second-leg defeat by Barcelona, according to his brother-in-law and representative, Osita Okolo.

The Partenopei were clear underdogs heading into the tie having drawn 1-1 at home in the first leg back in February, and it proved to go that way with first-half goals from Clement Lenglet, Lionel Messi and Luiz Suarez, securing a 3-1 win (4-2 on aggregate).

Osimhen watched the game but was unable to participate having just joined them following a €50 million move from Lille. He is expected to start training with his teammates when the new season commences.

Okolo believes the Nigeria international is going to have a huge impact at the San Paolo.

"Victor saw the match between Barcelona and Naples: he told me he wanted to play in it to help his new teammates," Okolo told Radio Kiss Kiss.

"Sorry for the elimination because the team has made itself respected despite facing a strong club like Barcelona.

"Osimhen will have a great impact with Napoli, I am sure. He has a great desire above all to score: he is an excellent finisher and he will come to do what he does best, that is to score.

"He will be in Castel di Sangro on the dates set by the club for preparation. Soon he will join the group to start this new adventure."

Osimhen started his senior career at Wolfsburg before moving the Charleroi in Belgium and then Lille. He revealed the reason why he was not able to establish himself in Germany, citing a lack of patience from Wolfsburg in allowing him to prove his worth.

“The weather, the language, the food [affected me]. It was my first time in Europe, I was just 18-years-old and I didn't have enough time to acclimatise. They didn't believe in me very much,” Osimhen told Sport1.

This was in contrast to Charleroi where he claims he was accepted and appreciated. He ended up scoring 20 goals in 36 appearances in just one season.

“I think that the love and acceptance that I experienced in Charleroi helped me a lot. I had just come out of a difficult situation and my self-confidence was at its lowest point,” he said.

Yanga SC have bolstered their squad with defender Ally Kibwana Shomari who is joining from Mtibwa Sugar.

The 27-time league champions brought the full-back on board to fill the void left by assistant captain Juma Abdul. 

Kibwana Ally Shomari has officially joined [Yanga SC] from Mtibwa Sugar on a two-year contract," the Jangwani-based side communicated on their official social media accounts.

Shomari has been consistent for the Sugar Millers and was reportedly a target for Simba SC and Azam FC before eventually settling for Timu ya Wananchi who are restructuring for next season.

Kelvin Yondani is another defender who was let go by Yanga; the 35-year-old defender failed to reach an agreement over a contract extension.

Recently, Wananchi signed Abdallah Shaibu on a two-year contract.

The 21-year-old served Yanga between 2017 and 2019 before he signed for MFK Vyskov of the Czech Republic.

The youngster did not stay long with the European club before he signed for LA Galaxy II in 2019 where he equally spent less time.

His arrival comes days after Yanga signed another defender, Bakari Mwamnyeto from Coastal Union who also put pen to paper on a two-year deal.

Shaibu and Mwamnyeto are expected to fill the void of Kelvin Yondani or Juma Abdul.

Peter Zawadi Mauya, Yassin Mustapha, and Waziri Junior are the other players Yanga have handed deals to.

Meanwhile, after releasing Yondani and Abdul, Yanga are understood to have called the two to a meeting in order to offer them short-term deals, Goal can report.

They were among the 14 players who were deemed surplus and let go but the club believes the defenders possess important experience that might prove worthy in the near future.

It is for this reason the management called them individually to a meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday but an agreement was not signed by either star.

The defenders are said to have felt the contracts are not as good and requested for more time to ponder whether to sign them or not.

Yondani, 35, has been on the books of Yanga since 2012 when he was signed from archrivals Simba SC and these have been the only two clubs he has served in his career.

Solomon Asante was in full swing for Phoenix Rising as he provided two assists in their 5-2 United Soccer League win over New Mexico United.

The Arizona outfit came into this game on the back of a 3-1 victory over El Paso FC of Texas with Asante getting a goal for himself.

They however started from behind with Romeo Parkes giving the visitors the lead in the fifth minute.

Jamaica international Junior Flemmings went on to equalise for Phoenix in the 17th minute and it didn’t take long for them to make it 2-1 with Asante assisting Azerbaijan forward Rufat Dadashov five minutes later.

Five minutes after the restart it became 3-1 with Asante’s cross on the right finding the head of American defender Alec John Cochran. New Mexico hoped for a comeback with Andrew Tinari cutting the deficit in the 59th minute.

That was going to be the last goal from the Albuquerque side as Phoenix added two more goals in the closing moments of the game thanks to Flemmings who completed his hat-trick.

Asante played for 87 minutes and was replaced by Jack Barmby. Another Ghanaian to play was Owusu Ansah Kontor and he was on the pitch 68 minutes before Joey Calistri took his place.

Asante’s assists took his tally to five after six games. His prior assists came in the opening two games of the season against Portland Timber 2 and LA Galaxy II, both ending in 6-1 and 4-0 victories for Phoenix. The 30-year-old Ghanaian also scored in both games, netting one in the former and two in the latter.

After the victory, Asante took to social media to celebrate the victory which sees Phoenix sit top of the Group B USL standings.

“Great team effort, quality play, nice goals and a deserved victory. Let's keep the #confidence #teamwork #teamspirit. Thanks for your amazing support from various homes,” he posted on Twitter.

Asante has been with Phoenix since 2018 when he joined from DR Congo side TP Mazembe and has scored 40 goals and provided 33 assists in 77 matches.

2019 was his most fulfilling year as he won the Phoenix Rising Most Valuable Player (Fans Choice), Golden Boot, Goal of the season, Assist of the year, Players Player of the year.

He also won the 2019 USL Championship Golden Boot, USL Most Valuable Player and was in the USL Team of the Year.

Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly has been compared to former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala by Micah Richards.

Richards, who turned out for the Citizens between 2005 and 2015, was analysing the Serie A club’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League, which saw them lose out to the Catalans 4-2 on aggregate.

Particular attention was paid to Koulibaly, who has long been touted as a transfer target for some of Europe’s largest sides, with City among the pack seeking the Senegal international as they aim to strengthen their defence further after adding Nathan Ake from Bournemouth.

Koulibaly had a difficult game up against Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, and won an unfavourable comparison from the ex-England defender.

“I think his price-tag is £20 milllion ($26.6m) less,” he told CBS Sports. “Everyone talks about how he is supposed to be composed on the ball, he's aggressive but I see similarities to Mangala - and he went to City and it didn't really work out for him there so I'm not totally convinced after that performance.”

Mangala won a high-profile switch to City from Porto in 2014 but endured a torrid five years with the club before ultimately leaving on a free transfer to Valencia in the summer of 2019, having played 57 Premier League matches without scoring a goal.

Koulibaly, meanwhile, started his career with Metz before moving to Genk in 2012. He subsequently moved to Napoli three years later and has since made close to 250 appearances in all competitions for the Stadio San Paolo side.

His reputation has flourished in Italy and he has been regularly linked to some of the biggest clubs on the continent, and Napoli have admitted he might depart imminently. 

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis told Sky Italia: “Kalidou is a great person, I would be terribly sad to lose him. But there is a time for everything, even to move apart. 

“But the €90m (£79m/$104m) asking price is not on the table and so it takes two to make a deal.”

The player has also admitted he could be off, telling Radio Kiss Kiss: “I would love to stay at Napoli for life, but I can’t make promises.”

Siyanda Xulu’s development coach Lindani Shezi said he did not doubt his protege’s career was going to flourish after he turned the former Kaizer Chiefs star from being a striker into a defender.

Shezi says Xulu briefly quit football in frustration and attempted to pursue a music career before he convinced the player to return to the game where he coached him at eThekwini Coastal.

“I discovered Siyanda when he was 14 years. He had given up on football at that time,” said Shezi as per IOL.

“Siyanda was playing for Bootlaces and they won the Transnet and they were supposed to go to Bloemfontein but that didn’t happen. As a result, he decided to go into music.

“When I brought him back to football, he was singing. When I got him, he was the striker. I converted Siyanda to a centre-back. He played for our Under-15, 17 and 19's. He captained all those sides because he has got leadership skills.”

After playing some good football for eThekwini Coastal, Xulu was snapped up by Kaizer Chiefs, before Mamelodi Sundowns took him away from the Soweto giants.

He later returned to Chiefs following a stint at Russian side Rostov.

“Siyanda moved from us to Kaizer Chiefs. [Former Bafana and Chiefs striker] Fani Madida initiated his move to Chiefs' development. He spoke with Bobby Motaung and they took the boy. Sundowns discovered him while playing for Chiefs development,” Shezi said.

Shezi who is now a development coach at Golden Arrows hails Xulu as a “born leader.”

“He has been a disciplined player since a young age. You’ll never find him making headlines for the wrong reasons, he is a born leader,” said Shezi.

“I had no doubt that he would play in the national team and go overseas. He is one of the most humble and disciplined players.”

The former Maritzburg United star who can play as a centre-back or right-back recently returned to Europe where he joined Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli top-flight league.

His move back to Europe came amid reported interest from Orlando Pirates.

Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham says that Robert Lewandowski is the benchmark that other strikers must aim for and added that it is his target to attain the level the Bayern Munich hitman is currently playing at.

The 22-year-old saw from close quarters the excellence of the Poland international as the Blues crashed out of the Champions League 7-1 on aggregate to the Bundesliga champions on Saturday, having suffered a thumping 4-1 loss in Germany.

Although Abraham got the consolation for Frank Lampard’s side, the night belonged to Lewandowski, who scored twice to take his tally to 13 in the Champions League for the 2019-20 season and 53 in all competitions.

“For me he is the best striker in the world right now and that is the level I have to get to and better,” Abraham said of the 31-year-old in an interview with the Telegraph.

“That is what I aspire to be and coming here and playing against him is a great learning curve, a great experience for me. Building to next season and onwards I have to build myself to get to those levels.”

Abraham is seeking to improve on a campaign in which he scored 15 Premier League goals in 34 outings, and saw Chelsea finish fourth in the Premier League, reach the last 16 of the Champions League and end the FA Cup as runners-up.

“This is Chelsea Football Club,” said Abraham. “There’s always going to be high standards and high competition. This is something I’ve been dreaming of as a kid so I have to fight for my spot, it’s never going to come easy.

“It didn’t come easy at the start of the season but I worked myself into the team and that’s what I have to keep doing.

“It’s been a phenomenal season for myself and the lads. I couldn’t ask for a better season. I have had a few niggles here and there but I have come out stronger and I have just got to build myself for next season: start well, end well. That’s my aim. This [Bayern] is the level so next season I have to raise my bar and go again.”

Chelsea will begin their 2020-21 campaign in September.

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt suggests three days will be sufficient for their preparations ahead of their Premier Soccer League (PSL) encounter against Kaizer Chiefs on Wednesday night.

The Clever Boys will head to FNB Stadium licking their wounds after losing 3-2 to Mamelodi Sundowns in the Nedbank Cup semi-finals on Saturday evening.

Hunt also credited Masandawana winger Lyle Lakay for his stunning free-kick which helped to book a spot in the final, saying he signed him from Old Mutual Academy at SuperSport United as a youngster many years ago.

“Well, the only good about Kaizer Chiefs is that we have three days and all the other games will be two days. So, you know we have a little bit of mileage in our legs now,” Hunt said to the media.

“How are we going to respond, obviously from the whole thing, losing the game as I said will be very difficult…the guys gave their all and there are no excuses, they were very unfortunate to lose the game. We should have won the game but we gave the three goals away.

“Then you’ve got to give Lyle Lakay, who I signed from Old Mutual Academy many years ago. He’s come good and I’m happy for him, happy for Pitso [Mosimane] and the team.”

Speaking about his two-goal hero in the form of Terrence Dzvukamanja, the four-time PSL winner says he’s surprised nobody has snapped him up as yet.

“Yeah, I’m amazed nobody has snapped him [Dzvukamanja] up, fantastic young player,” he added.

“He’s the man of the match tonight [Saturday], besides the two goals, he was outstanding and he played very well for us in a completely different role.

“Because we don’t have Gift Motupa, that’s the story for us in the coming games.”

As the 2016/17 PSL winners sit sixth on the table with 38 points from 21 games, they will look to finish in a decent spot especially after their Ke Yona exit.

On the other hand, facing Amakhosi, who will be making their return since March at the iconic venue could give Hunt the edge as his men have their first match under the belt.

Coach Ernst Middendorp’s men are scheduled to face Wits on two occasions in their quest to dethrone the Brazilians as reigning league champions.

Chiefs sit at the summit with 48 points from eight matches to go and will also be keen to see the winner between second-placed Sundowns and Orlando Pirates at Dobsonvile Stadium on Tuesday night.

Leon Goretzka was stunned to see Robert Lewandowski's star performance in the Champions League match against Chelsea on Saturday despite the Bayern Munich striker's relaxed attitude in training.

After scoring one and setting up two goals in the first leg of the last-16 tie at Stamford Bridge in February, the Poland international netted a double and set up another two in the return fixture on Saturday as Bayern strolled to a 7-1 aggregate win over Frank Lampard's team.

And Goretzka was surprised by his team-mate's effectiveness against the Blues after seeing him prepare for the game.

"He's actually a phenomenon," Goretzka told Sport1. 

"When I saw how he trained last week, I thought to myself: 'Should I talk to him about why he's not running?' But he only said: 'Keep calm! Saturday is important.'"

He continued: "[Winning the treble] is our goal in the end, but it's a very special competition. It has a bit of the character of a European Championship or World Cup. But we're really hot and looking forward to the trip."

Lewandowski has scored 13 times in the Champions League this season and is four short of Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals in a single campaign.

But the 31-year-old says he is not thinking about individual records as they turn their attention to the quarter-final clash against Barcelona.

"The record is not a goal. We only have one knockout game now and we have to play really well as a team. The most important thing is that we win and play the next round," he said.

"We have to show as a team that we are better and that we want to get to the semi-finals.

"Barcelona are always dangerous. They are always dangerous and always play great football.

"We have to from the first minute watch out and show our quality. This is just one game and the better team will play in the next round. 

"It is a big goal for every player to win the Champions League. But we have to beat Barcelona first and not think about what happens afterwards. First the game, then we see what happens afterwards."

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane has expressed sadness over the fact that Bidvest Wits has been sold to new owners Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).

‘Jingles’ also said he hopes the Clever Boys will bounce back to the top-flight, drawing comparisons with Rangers in Scotland, adding that the Braamfontein-based club has good development structures.

On the other hand, Mosimane spoke of how he used to throw some humour in their rivalry with coach Gavin Hunt’s troops and that the four-time Premier Soccer League (PSL) winners deserve the credit.

“It’s very sad to lose Wits, it’s a team that has a big history, big culture and they’re 97 years [99 years], I don’t know whatever it is,” Mosimane told the media.

“You don’t want to lose a team like this, I used to jab them. I always say they have won one trophy in 100 years you know. Just to put humour on it, but what a good team, a strong team they’ve won cups.

“I mean Gavin needs the credit as a coach and I think the coach will struggle to get a club.”

The reigning PSL Coach of the Season also took a look at Bafana Bafana legend Lucas Radebe’s former club Leeds United, saying they were absent from the Premier League for many years but they never changed the name.

“It’s sad to see them go but business is business, unfortunately in Europe names remain but in South Africa, we change the name,” he added.

“We see Leeds United coming back after 20 years [16 years], I don’t know how many years but the name remains. So, it’s very sad to see Wits going but the youth is still there.

“Probably they have a plan, they can come back. Yes, Rangers was relegated and that’s [Bongani] Zungu’s team but they came back and they are in the Scottish Premiership now.

“So, Wits juniors can come up again and build a team, they have a strong youth structure. So, we wish they can come back.”

Just after their hard-fought 3-2 win over the Clever Boys at Orlando Stadium on Saturday evening in the Nedbank Cup, the Brazilians will face Bloemfontein Celtic in the final in September.

On the other hand, they are now turning their focus to a mouth-watering clash against Orlando Pirates whom they meet on Tuesday night in the league.

David Alaba is refusing to be distracted by questions over his future and said Bayern Munich are travelling to Lisbon for their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona with nothing to fear.

Versatile Austria defender Alaba is yet to commit to a new contract at the Allianz Arena, with his deal set to expire next year.

Manchester City, coached by former Bayern boss Pep Guardiola, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the illustrious clubs linked to Alaba's signature.

Bayern have been increasingly confident of retaining Alaba's services, though, and the player himself is focused only on Die Roten's bid for Champions League glory in Portugal this month.

"My focus is on the next few weeks and that's why I don't let anything else distract me," he said when asked about his future.

Alaba was part of the Bayern side that routed Chelsea 4-1 on Saturday to earn a 7-1 aggregate triumph in their last-16 tie, which was completed over five months after it started.

Next up is a quarter-final date with Barca, who were inspired by Lionel Messi in getting past Napoli and into the last eight.

Alaba acknowledges the competition is about to crank up a notch but says Bayern can approach the task with confidence.

"I think it will be even more intense in the next few weeks and that's why we want to prepare well in Portugal so that we're ready," he added.

"The anticipation is huge, of course. Barcelona have a good team, we are aware of that, with very good, individual players, but we want to counter that and go to Portugal with confidence. We need each other, [we cannot] hide."

 Bayern finished their domestic campaign as Bundesliga champions, with Alaba featuring on 28 occasions, scoring one goal and assisting one more, as they won the league by 13 points ahead of second placed Borussia Dortmund.

In total, the Austria international, who joined FCB in 2008 from Austria Vienna’s youth system, has played 383 matches for Bayern and has played his entire senior career with the Allianz Arena club, with the exception of a loan spell with Hoffenheim. 

New Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo can match the achievements of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, according to Bianconeri legend Alessandro Del Piero.

Following Juve’s surprise Champions League exit at the hands of Lyon on Friday, Maurizio Sarri was sacked from the role, with Pirlo, who was only appointed as head coach of the Under-23 side last week, swiftly upgraded into the top post.

Pirlo’s move into management caught many by surprise, and while Del Piero admits that he was one of those, he believes that the former midfield playmaker has the ability to replicate the achievements of Zidane, who has won three Champions League titles and the Primera Division with Real Madrid, having been another unlikely figure in the dugout.

“It’s not a fair comparison, because Zizou had already worked with the Real Madrid youth team and then was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant manager, but Pirlo has everything it takes to do even better than Zidane,” Del Piero told Sky Sport Italia.

“He already knows the club, the players, the directors, so I think they communicated in a very clear way.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have bet on him becoming the coach. It’s a surprise for me too.

“I was already pleased for him taking the Under-23 role and thought that was the right move for him, but he’s skipped ahead, so I can only wish him luck.

“I think the general perception of former players who become coaches is changing in Italy. Before, there was this need to go through a long process in the lower leagues to learn the trade, but in recent years we’ve seen Filippo and Simone Inzaghi succeed, plus Gennaro Gattuso. They were great players and started straight away with great teams.”

Juventus finished the Serie A season just a single point ahead of Inter but did enough to secure their ninth Scudetto in succession. The gap, however, was uncomfortable, particularly with Atalanta and Lazio only three points further back from the Nerazzurri.

Meanwhile, the Turin side have been unsettled further by reports in France that star man Cristiano Ronaldo remains a potential target for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window.

Uganda international Isaac Muleme has hit out at North Africa and advised players from the region not to transfer there.

The left-back had a short stint with Hars el-Hodod Sporting Club in the 2017/18 season, where he made 13 appearances and scored one goal. A year later, he moved to FK Viktoria Zizkov in the Czech Republic.

The 27-year-old still curses his time in Egypt, saying some people judge players over pay disputes without knowing all the facts.

"To be honest, in North Africa they don’t want to pay players but people just keep judging us without knowing the truth," Muleme told Sports Nation.

"I was there before, I know how they treat players. North Africa is sh*t and I do not advise any player to go there."

The full-back, who has made 39 appearances for the Cranes played for FC Nitra, Slovakia, on loan, but has made a return to Viktoria Zizkov.

He has revealed the challenges he has to face day in, day out in the European country.

"Here, they do speak Czech only, they want to promote their language, few people speak English " Muleme continued.

"[At Nitra] they speak English and it is easy to associate with people although it is a small country, but the level of competition in the Czech Republic is better."  

The experienced defender has also explained why any player wishing to play in Europe should be psychologically prepared in order to be successful.

"They do not eat fresh food, it is always kept in the fridge. The weather is not what I am used to; [There is] winter, autumn, and summer. It gets tough," he said.

Muleme had joined Viktoria Zizkov in February last year from the Alexandria-based side Haras El Hodood FC.

He is a product of the defunct SC Villa Academy, Jogoo Young, that produced many of the players of the current Uganda generation.

In his home country, Muleme has featured for boyhood club SC Villa in more than one stint, defunct SC Victoria University, and KCCA FC.

He was part of the Cranes team that featured at the Chan finals in 2014, 2016, and 2018.   

Lille have announced that they have completed the signing of former Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes on a five-year deal.

The attacking midfielder was a free agent after failing to agree terms with the Red Devils.

Lille fans, however, will have to wait to see him in their colours as he will be loaned to Portuguese outfit Boavista for the duration of the 2020-21 season.

“We are very happy to welcome Angel Gomes who comes free from Manchester United,” Lille CEO Marc Ingla said. “Angel represents one of the greatest international prospects in his position. 

“He is a very intelligent player in his decision making, technical, agile, but also endowed with strong leadership abilities, as shown by captaining England’s Under-20 side.

"He is still young but has immense talent and potential. We are very happy to have convinced him to join LOSC.”

Gomes comes from a footballing background as the cousin of Portugal international Nani, while his father Gil Gomes, who featured for Sheffield Wednesday, also spent time playing professionally in France for Tours.

Capable of playing out wide or through the centre, the 19-year-old Gomes had been on the books of Manchester United since 2006, turning professional with the Old Trafford outfit in 2017.

He featured on eight occasions for the senior team during the 2019-20 campaign, including three Europa League and two Premier League outings, but was unable to be decisive in any of these encounters.

However, in Premier League 2 play, he had notched four goals and two assists in just 429 minutes of action spread over five matches.

He represents Lille’s third summer addition, following forwards Isaac Lihadji and Burak Yilmaz to the club, with both arriving on free transfers.

Meanwhile, Lille have been active in terms of selling players, having allowed Victor Osimhen to leave for Napoli for a reported fee of €81 million, including any future bonus payments.

Centre-back Gabriel, meanwhile, may well depart as he continues to catch the eye of several Premier League sides, including Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton, while Jonathan Ikone has also been linked with a summer move away from Stade Pierre-Mauroy, where the club must be mindful to comply with UEFA’s FFP restrictions.

Simba SC have now emerged as the clear favourites to land the services of Gor Mahia defender Joash Onyango.

The 27-year-old is among the key players who are keen to leave the Kenyan champions this transfer window and the Wekundu wa Msimbazi have already expressed their interest to sign him.

According to a Simba official in Dar es Salaam, Onyango is seen as the player to partner Pascal Wawa at the heart of the club’s defence ahead of the new season. where they will take part in the Caf Champions League.

“I know Simba are interested to sign [Onyango] and they have even held talks with him over a possible move,” the source, who did not want to be named, told Goal on Sunday.

“Onyango is seen as a good signing who can play alongside Wawa in the Simba defence, they have already talked and the deal could be made public anytime soon, it is just a matter of days before he arrives in Dar es Salaam to put pen to paper.”

Simba have already plunged into the transfer market with the signing of midfielder Bernard Morrison from rivals Yanga SC. The Ghanaian player has penned a two-year contract to ditch the Jangwani Street-based giants for the Reds.

In an earlier interview, Onyango revealed he was ready for another challenge after his current contract with Gor Mahia expires. 

"To be honest my contract with Gor Mahia expires in December,” Onyango told Goal. “I am ripe for another challenge; Gor Mahia have not approached me regarding my contract extension.

“So if any team approaches me with intentions to get my services, I will not think twice.”

Onyango joined K'Ogalo from Western Stima in the 2017 season and has gone to help them win back-to-back KPL titles and helping them in continental assignments. He was part of the team that qualified for the Caf Confederation Cup quarter-finals in the 2018/19 season.

The team went on to fall 7-1 on aggregate to RS Berkane of Morocco.

Other players whose contracts at K'Ogalo have or are about to expire include Charles Momanyi, who has been linked with a move to KCB, winger Nicholas Kipkirui and Ghanaian Jackson Owusu.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Muguna has already opened talks to sign for Petro Atletico of Angola.